What is wrong with these pictures?
Two things are wrong: 1. No turkeys. 2. Fences have been pushed down. What was the cause? Coyotes.
We lost 8 turkeys last week to coyotes that figured out how to knock down the electrified netting. Up to that point, we hadn't lost a single turkey to a predator. At first, we thought the fences had been knocked down by the turkeys who were in search of better pasture, but after a few days of fence knockdowns and after finding a mauled (still living, but badly hurt) turkey we realized our mistake. A quick count revealed the damage. From 62 to 54 turkeys, and the hurt turkey unfortunately died the next day from his wounds. Realizing that the coyotes had outsmarted us yet again (and feeling pretty frustrated and depressed) we decided that our only remaining option to keep the turkeys safe was to move them into the barn.
We lost 8 turkeys last week to coyotes that figured out how to knock down the electrified netting. Up to that point, we hadn't lost a single turkey to a predator. At first, we thought the fences had been knocked down by the turkeys who were in search of better pasture, but after a few days of fence knockdowns and after finding a mauled (still living, but badly hurt) turkey we realized our mistake. A quick count revealed the damage. From 62 to 54 turkeys, and the hurt turkey unfortunately died the next day from his wounds. Realizing that the coyotes had outsmarted us yet again (and feeling pretty frustrated and depressed) we decided that our only remaining option to keep the turkeys safe was to move them into the barn.
We moved the turkeys only as a last resort, as we valued having the turkeys outside where they could get fresh air, have more room, and be able to graze on the pasture. Keeping them safe is more important right now. The turkeys are doing fine in the barn, though, as they have lots of areas to roost and are also probably enjoying being out of the cold rain. While it's not ideal, we have to roll with the punches and make the best out of what nature throws at us.
I'm not sure if there is a gold standard solution for protecting turkeys on pasture. A completely enclosed shelter(s) would limit the amount of room the turkeys have to roam, would be more difficult to move, and would be more expensive to build and mamaintain. We could try to deter coyotes with livestock guardian dogs, but there is no guarantee they wouldn't try to attack the turkeys themselves. We almost went this route this year, but decided against it as it was going to be a big investment of money and time for training, plus we'd have to wait at least a year before they were old enough to guard. I could also wait out in the pasture all night long and shoot the coyotes (I definitely considered it, but in the end decided against).
For right now, the barn solution is the best solution. In the future, we'll have to do some thinking to see how we can improve our husbandry of these tricky birds.
I'm not sure if there is a gold standard solution for protecting turkeys on pasture. A completely enclosed shelter(s) would limit the amount of room the turkeys have to roam, would be more difficult to move, and would be more expensive to build and mamaintain. We could try to deter coyotes with livestock guardian dogs, but there is no guarantee they wouldn't try to attack the turkeys themselves. We almost went this route this year, but decided against it as it was going to be a big investment of money and time for training, plus we'd have to wait at least a year before they were old enough to guard. I could also wait out in the pasture all night long and shoot the coyotes (I definitely considered it, but in the end decided against).
For right now, the barn solution is the best solution. In the future, we'll have to do some thinking to see how we can improve our husbandry of these tricky birds.
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